Ron DeSantis has blamed Donald Trump for the appearance of a controversial satanic display inside the Iowa state Capitol building.
The Florida governor appeared at a CNN town hall on Tuesday night where he gave some of his sharpest criticism to date of his one-time close ally turned 2024 rival.
At one point, host Jake Tapper asked Mr DeSantis about the display that sprung up in Iowa in recent days.
The governor – who is trailing Mr Trump in the polls – pointed the finger at the former president, saying that the Trump administration gave the Satanic Temple free rein to be regarded as a religion.
“So it’s interesting. I heard this and then I was like, well, how did it get there? Is that even a religion? And lo and behold, the Trump administration gave them approval to be under the IRS as a religion,” he said.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the media after a meet and greet on 7 December— (AP)
“So that gave them the legal ability to potentially do it.”
He added: “So I don’t know what the legislature, how they analysed it, but it very well may be because of that ruling under Donald Trump that they may have had a legal leg to stand on.
“My view would be that that’s not a religion that the founding fathers were trying to create. But I do think that IRS ruling, I was really surprised to see that they did that.”
Mr Tapper pointed out that this “doesn’t necessarily mean the government supports it, but they did grant it”.
Mr DeSantis agreed, saying: “Yeah, exactly. But they recognised it as a religion, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to do it. I don’t think that was the right decision… that’s wrong.”
As far as he is concerned, the controversial display should be taken down.
“I think if they’re going to get sued on it, I think you fight that fight,” he added.
In 2019, the Internal Revenue Service under Mr Trump designated the Satanic Temple a church, granting it access to apply for faith-based grants and tax-exempt status.
Despite this, a spokesperson for Mr Trump slammed Mr DeSantis’ comments as “desperate”.
Satanic display in the Iowa state capitol— (KCCI News/Youtube)
“This is what desperate politicians do when they know their political lives are flashing before their eyes, they fabricate and completely make up ridiculous stories on CNN so they can appease their liberal audience,” Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital.
“This is the moment scholars will point to of when the death of DeSantis’s career occurred.”
The Satanic Temple Iowa sparked outrage among conservatives after it set up a holiday display inside the state Capitol back on 2 December.
The display features a Baphomet – a pagan idol associated with the Knights Templar – and the religion’s seven core beliefs.
Its appearance in the government building has been met with fury by some, with GOP lawmakers calling for its removal and Iowa’s Republican Governor Kim Reynolds branding it “absolutely objectionable”.
Display has sparked outrage from some conservatives— (KCCI News/Youtube)
“Like many Iowans, I find the Satanic Temple’s display in the Capitol absolutely objectionable,” Ms Reynolds said in a statement.
“In a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech, and I encourage all those of faith to join me today in praying over the Capitol and recognising the nativity scene that will be on display – the true reason for the season.”
Despite the furore, the Iowa Department of Administrative Services has said that the Satanic Temple applied for the spot and met all the requirements, giving them the right to put up the display.
Other lawmakers have also acknowledged that the display is protected by the religious group’s First Amendment right to free speech.
